Those who receive Social Security benefits are expected to see a slight increase in their payments next year. However, senior advocates say the pay bump isn’t likely to be enough to meet rising costs that millions of Americans are experiencing.

Earlier this month, the nonpartisan advocacy group The Senior Citizens League released its final projection for the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The prediction projects a 2.7% increase in benefits checks, which would be up just .2% from the 2.5% COLA in 2025.

“Seniors across America are holding their breath as we wait for the official COLA announcement in October,” said TSCL director Shannon Benton. “Our research shows that about 39 percent of seniors depend on their benefits for all their income, so the COLA announcement has a direct ef

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